Chapter 37: Polluted Zone Five (2)
It looked like a beta wanting to go to the Polluted Zone wasn’t such a big deal after all. Now that they’d heard someone wanted to go, they were glad to help.
In the end, all they asked was to go with Kestrel.
Before she knew it, Kestrel was pulled into a jeep. The vehicle zoomed down the road, her exclusive fancy cushion under her butt.
"That cushion has the smell of a little girl on it," one of Kestrel’s tendrils said.
Somewhere in town, in a comfy little house, a young girl was making a face, talking to her mom, who was washing dishes by the sink, "
"Will my doll really never come back?" The little girl asked with a whimper in her voice.
The mother sighed, dried her hands on her apron, and squatted down in front of the girl.
The child had been upset for two whole days because her only doll was taken away by her father.
"Yes, Olivia," the mother said softly. "As I’ve told you, your doll has been disassembled to help Uncle Raymond."
The little girl’s eyes reddened, and tears swirled, "Did it help? Was Uncle Raymond saved?"
"Yes, your doll was really helpful," the mother said as she caressed her small head. "Because of your doll turning into a soft cushion, we were able to get a beta to help us. Uncle Raymond doesn’t have to die now, and this is all thanks to you, Olivia. You like Uncle Raymond and his blonde hair too, don’t you?"
After a moment’s thought, the girl’s sadness turned into a smile. Although she loved her only doll, she also liked Raymond, and she also liked all his friends, men and women, who often came to her home for meals.
"Mom, what kind of place is the Polluted Zone? Why do they often have to go there?" she asked.
"The Polluted Zone?" The mother returned to the sink to clean the dishes and pondered for a moment, "I don’t know about other Polluted Zones, but Polluted Zone Five was once my home when I was a child."
...
Ren stood up amidst the smoke, strands of hair falling onto his forehead and a bruise left on his wrist from being held too tightly. He looked slightly battered.
But at least he had escaped from the mutants and hadn’t been dragged into the thick black smoke.
The long, black hand that Ren had shattered with his gun had already reformed, prowling around the shadows of the streets and buildings before reluctantly retreating.
"Such a pity," Jax thought from a distance, "Ren was too cautious. This is all his fault."
However, his face quickly showed concern, and he hurried over, "Ren, are you okay?"
"It’s strange," Jax feigned confusion, "Pollute Zone Five is an old area, countless people have gone in and out, and our maps and guides are very detailed. How could such a powerful creature suddenly appear here?"
Ren wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and looked at him with a smile that wasn’t quite a smile.
"Yeah, it is strange indeed," he said.
Ren and his friends were in a very quiet street. There was no sign of any living thing. They were in the Polluted Zone, a place not meant for living beings.
This area, closed off for a long time, didn’t seem empty though. It felt full of life. Wet clothes were hanging from balconies. Lights were on in the houses along the street, with the sound of TVs in the distance.
A kid’s toy snail was left on the road, and a poster about a missing person was on an electric box. It looked like a young girl had run away.
A black arm had tried to attack Ren from an alley. Now, it was gone, leaving no clue of its dark, smoke-like being.
It was like everyone had vanished from this once busy street.
Hanson was walking with Ren in the quiet street.
"Something’s off, Ren," Hanson whispered, "It’s ’daytime’ now. This should be a safe place. Why would a mutant attack you?"
alphas had very good hearing. They could hear even a very soft whisper.
Ren didn’t answer with words. He just made some signs with his hands.
"Spread out" - that was the first message.
"Stay behind me, keep your distance" - that was the second.
Jax, who was at the back, was also making signs to a friend.
"Cut it out, Jax. Ren is a good fighter. Mr. Chow’s item is still in the sea, we haven’t got it yet," the friend signed back, "Let’s keep him. He’s helpful."
Jax looked at Ren, who was leading the group, before agreeing with a sign.
To Jax, Ren was a pain. Although Ren was now following him and seemed quiet, Jax felt uncomfortable. No one knew Ren as well as he did. Ren was strong, daring, and independent, never controlled by others.
Now, however, Ren had changed. He talked less and was harder to read. Even when he was quiet, just his presence sometimes scared Jax.
Jax decided to use this trip to the Polluted Zone to deal with this ongoing worry.
In his hand, he held the newest info about Polluted Zone Five. He was the only one in the group who knew.
It was about a scary mutant that liked to hide in the dark, attacking the strongest alpha in a group.
Only he knew that as the Polluted Zone grew, this new creature had grown its space.
This key info could help him.
Once they got the teacher’s item, he could use this info to make sure Ren would be left in the Polluted Zone forever. That was Jax’s dark plan.
It would be a quiet operation.
A few losses in the Polluted Zone were normal. Jax knew Cass couldn’t blame him for that.
...
Kestrel’s jeep pulled up in a seaside village.
This village was where fishing families lived most of the time. When bad things happened, like the Polluted Zone growing or too many mutants, they would run to the outposts to be safe.
In the morning, most of the grown-ups had gone fishing. Only some older kids and old people stayed in the village.
The jeep stopped in the village, and Tegnell hit the side of the jeep, and yelled, "Hey! We’re heading to Polluted Zone Five, a sunken ship. Need someone with an aquatic psychic incarnation. Twenty ashcredits for the mission. Who’s in?"
When the kids heard twenty ashcredits, they ran over, their thin arms up in the air.
